The Language of Love
by TheLostRelic
Summary: Enter talented, demure music student, Annabeth Chase, who dreams of becoming a great violinist, one that will be immortalized. She meets the enigmatic and brilliant Percy, her mute professor despite only being two years her senior. They share an instant chemistry, but she struggles to deal with Percy in all his bitterness and silence. Can she love a man that can never say it back?
1. Fantasia

**Fantasia**

Stumbling over her feet, Annabeth Chase sped out of the subway tunnel onto the busy streets of New York, chasing after the bus that she _had_ to catch if she was to make it to the university on time. The fact that her violin was slung across her shoulder and therefore provided excess weight didn't help at all.

_No, no, no, no, no, no! _Annabeth thought as the bus doors closed. The tell tale hiss of the engine told her that it would be in motion soon, leaving her in the dust and late, on her first day no less.

By some stroke of divine providence, she managed to catch up and furiously pound on the doors. The bus driver shot her a very annoyed look as he opened the door and she bounced in.

"Here," she said without prelude, thrusting her bus pass in the driver's face.

The driver grunted and she clumsily navigated her way to an empty spot near the middle of the bus. With a huff, she plopped down ostentatiously, earning her a cold glare from the wizened old lady to her right. Annabeth composed herself and gave the old woman a sweet smile, and the lady softened besides her.

Annabeth pulled her violin case up to her and hugged it against her slender frame, loathe to let it out of her sight. As the bus drove by, Annabeth had to resist pressing her face up against the glass to drink everything in. New York was like an industrialized paradise, sprawling out without a care in the world, making a loud and obnoxious statement. After all, it was the city were dreams were made, and that was why she was there.

This was her first year enrolled in Juilliard, and she was beyond excited. Everything that she had ever worked and strived for all culminated with this: enrollment in one of the finest art schools in the world. She was finally making her dreams become a reality, and the feeling was indescribably empowering.

The bus stopped then and a boy her age gracefully bounded onto the bus. His raven colored hair appeared to be at war with itself, spiking out in every imaginable direction. However, what caught Annabeth's attention was the color of his eyes, an entrancing sea green color that ebbed and flowed like the tides of the ocean. He was incredibly good looking, and he gazed good naturedly about the bus, a permanent lopsided grin tugging at his lips. Judging by his looks, it would be easy to peg him as a trouble maker, but the way the people on the bus greeted him with a warm familiarity washed that notion away.

The boy finally made his way over to an empty seat right next to Annabeth and sat down comfortably. Annabeth watched him curiously as he dug around in his backpack for something. Always the polite one, Annabeth tapped his shoulder to introduce herself.

One too-huge, sea green eye peered up at her from his backpack, and suddenly she felt self-conscious. At the sight of his enormous grin, however, Annabeth felt a little bit more at ease.

"Hi! I am Annabeth, what's your name?" she asked politely, as the boy continued to look at her expectantly.

Without warning, his head swung back into his backpack, leaving Annabeth feeling slightly miffed. However, once he sat upright, he plopped a book onto Annabeth's lap entitled, _Famous Greek Myths_, and opened it to one particular page. Annabeth peered down curiously to see that one word was highlighted in blue.

_Perseus. _

"Perseus... Is that your name?" Annabeth asked, and he happily nodded in affirmation.

Annabeth noticed that he also had a legal pad and a blue pen with him. The boy opened the cap of marker and bit onto it as he furiously scribbled across the notebook paper. Once he was finished, he shoved the pad onto Annabeth's lap and pointed to his messy writing. Annabeth thought his handwriting looked kind of like swords transfigured into words because all the letters seemed to appear sharp almost.

_Perseus is my real name (don't ask), but you can call me Percy. Percy Jackson. It is very nice to meet you Annabeth! _Annabeth read, and a small smile appeared on her face.

"It's nice to meet you too, Percy," she said politely, feeling slightly bewildered by their strange interaction.

Percy studied her face intently as she spoke and grinned even more widely once she finished. Without pomp and circumstance, he extended his hand, but when Annabeth took it, he wrapped her in a warm embrace which caused her to experience a feeling akin to a thousand butterflies fluttering against her stomach. Percy withdrew and smiled warmly at her again, and Annabeth wondered if he had ever _not_ smiled.

It was then that the bus stopped and Annabeth got off to leave, and to her surprise, Percy did as well. When Annabeth looked at him inquisitively, Percy sheepishly pointed to the Starbucks to her left and she let out a little "Oh", understanding that that was where he worked. She then pointed to the impressive wedge shaped building that was Juilliard, and Percy raised his eyebrow appreciatively and clapped lightly causing Annabeth to grin.

They separated ways and Annabeth waved to Percy who waved back as she traipsed into Juilliard. After a few minutes, Annabeth was in her first class, Music Theory, and she found a seat besides a pretty girl with choppy chocolate colored bangs with kaleidoscopic eyes.

"Hi, I'm Piper, nice to meet you!" The girl enthused and Annabeth shook her hand.

"Annabeth, and nice to meet you too," she said, happy to have met a nice girl on her first day.

"Instrument?" Piper asked curiously.

"Huh?" Annabeth asked, putting her materials underneath her desk.

"What do you play?" Piper asked again.

Annabeth nodded in acknowledgment saying, "Oh! Sorry, uh, I play the violin."

Piper smiled in response and said, "Oh, wow! Me too! Small world, huh?"

"Really? Small world indeed. What was your audition piece?" Annabeth asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Concerto in B Minor - Saint Saens," Piper said without hesitation, and Annabeth looked at her, impressed.

"Wow, that's impressive," Annabeth said appreciatively, "I played Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1."

Piper praised her and then the professor walked in to begin the lesson.

The day flew past and at its end, Piper and Annabeth began to head towards the rehearsal hall for Freshman String Orchestra. They arrived to see an already packed rehearsal hall with students milling around either talking with one another or warming up by playing etudes or scales.

As Piper and Annabeth unpacked their instruments, they exchanged curious glances when they kept hearing the same topic of conversation repeat itself throughout the rehearsal hall.

"Yeah, apparently Professor Filkov retired last year-"

"New professor is supposed to be a prodigy-"

"Played with the New York Philharmonic when he was twelve-"

That certainly stole Annabeth's attention. She was obviously a very talented musician to have been in Juilliard, but this new professor sounded extraordinary to have played with the New York Philharmonic at such a young age. Maybe she shouldn't have been surprised because this was the norm for a place of prestige like Juilliard. Briefly, she wondered if her professor was going to be anything like her director back in California.

She shivered when she remembered how awful Maestro Gildan had been, constantly screaming and insulting his orchestra. Annabeth was his star, but even she didn't escape his violent rebukes. Vivid memories of a dank rehearsal hall filled with sixty other musicians whilst being reprimanded by a sinister looking man in his sixties flashed before her eyes.

With a loud bang, the door flew open and all eyes in the rehearsal hall turned to examine the new arrival. A tall dark haired man strode into the room, an aura of power and skill evident in his gait, and the room instantly quietened out of sheer respect. Wearing a simple white linen shirt with the top two buttons unbuttoned, and a pair of dark jeans hanging seductively from his hips, the new arrival could have been a male model, and judging by the looks many of the females were giving him, he might as well have been. In one hand, he held a simple black box, and in the other, a cup of coffee from Starbucks.

Annabeth watched with undisguised horror as Percy Jackson gracefully glided onto the stage to stand authoritatively on the podium without an iota of his previous good humor, and as all the students, herself included, dutifully and respectfully slid into their chairs, awaiting instruction.

Percy's sea green eyes were cold and serious as he gazed about the room, looking at all of the musicians impassively, but Annabeth swore she could detect a wistful glint in them. When his eyes passed over Annabeth, they dilated and warmed for a fraction of a second before becoming cold and professional once more. Without a word, Percy held up a score entitle, _Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis - Ralph Vaughn Williams, _and shortly after, amidst the shuffling of the musicians retrieving their sheet music, he brandished a simple bronze baton from his black box.

With one sweeping glance to make sure everyone was ready, he began to count off and then conduct the Freshman String Orchestra, and they followed him without question. Annabeth noticed that he conducted masterfully and with the experience of someone far beyond his years, naturally swelling at the crescendoes and moving with a passionate vitality that was entirely contagious. It was like he was a magician coaxing magic from the strings of their instruments, and they, the musicians, were his incantations and enchantments.

After a quick run through the piece, Annabeth was already under the impression that the group sounded quite good, but that was to be expected with players of their caliber. Ultimately, the notion was naive, and that became evident when Percy gazed at the score intently, flipping and circling measure numbers with one hand while his other stroked his lower lip in a contemplative gesture.

Annabeth looked at Piper who was acting as her stand partner for now and exchanged a confused glance which the other girl mirrored. What in the world was Percy doing directing the group? How was he able to conduct so well? Why did she get the impression that she was wrong about him working as a barista at Starbucks?

Percy looked up abruptly from his score and a sheepish smile slid across his face as he rubbed the back of neck in embarrassment. He stepped energetically off the podium and pulled a large white board that was standing inconspicuously at the edge of the hall. When he returned, he uncapped a blue marker and like in the morning, bit onto the cap as he wrote in large marked letters.

_My name is Percy Jackson. I am your director for this year. Make no mistake about my age, I am more than qualified to conduct and Juilliard doesn't make mistakes. All of you should be proud that you are here, but things only get harder from here on out. I will push you to the brink of exhaustion. Many of you will not like me. Many of you will drop out. For those of you that remain, I might be your guardian angel or your worst nightmare - I could honestly care less. My one and only goal is to make beautiful music with you all, and I hope that you reciprocate. _

Upon writing all that, he stepped away to let all of the musicians read what he had written. Many began to whisper about how strange it was that someone as young as him was directing at Juilliard. Many whispered about this being a practical joke, but they did so half-heartedly given his masterful display minutes before. Percy either did not hear or did not care about the murmurs circulating through the hall, his face a shrewd and impassive mask.

Once he was satisfied that everyone had seen what was written on the board, he erased it and wrote four large words on the board: _LET'S GET TO WORK._

~oOo~

Annabeth sank into the mattress in her dorm room and her roommate Reyna didn't look like she was faring any better. Running a hand across her face, she groaned loudly in protest and Reyna smothered her face into her pillow. The two girls got along well, but Reyna was doing dance not music.

"I feel like my feet are going to fall off," Reyna mumbled, her voice muffled by her pillow.

The blond girl turned her head towards her Latina roommate, and sighed, "I know what you mean. My orchestra director has to be in league with the devil for making us drill through the first four measures of our song until he thought that they were perfect. I swear to god, if I hear the first four chords to Fantasia again, I am going to vomit."

Reyna laughed brightly, her hand now propping up her head as she leaned on her side, and Annabeth chuckled as well. She could not believe that the guy she met on the bus that same morning was the very same guy that turned out to be her professor. Not only that, he was probably her age and seemed to be insanely attractive.

_Bad Annabeth. Thinking your new professor is gorgeous is not alright. Bad girl. Bad hormones, _she chastised herself.

She buried her face in her hands when she remembered that she thought he was a barista at Starbucks. Thank god she hadn't said what she was thinking out loud otherwise she would have died of embarrassment at rehearsal that day.

_I wonder what his deal is... _Annabeth thought to herself.

Why did he never seem to talk? Was he just anti-social? But then why go through all that trouble writing on the whiteboard? What if he had selective mutism?

So many questions floated around in Annabeth's brain as was her usual modus operandi, and they tortured her because more than anything, she hated not knowing. She vowed to ask him herself if she saw him on the bus tomorrow. Maybe she would even go to Starbucks with him!

That night after leaving her violin untouched for fear of her arms dropping off, she plugged her iPod in and listened to some music on shuffle. A wide variety of songs and artists played; John Mayer, Foo Fighters, Frank Sinatra, Damien Rice, Red Hot Chili Peppers. However, when "Mahler's Piano Quartet in A Minor" began to play, she couldn't help but think of Percy, but she didn't exactly know why. But then she remembered the wistful glint in his eyes when he stood on the podium, and she realized at that moment that there was more to Percy Jackson than met the eye.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! I promise that not all the chapters will be filled with musical terminology and I'll do my best to keep it understandable. A departure from my usual work, this story will mostly just be that, a story. I want to focus on entertainment instead of philosophical inquiry or emotional development. That is not to say that I won't stick in a few things here or there, but it'll mostly be low key. I am going to try to make this a happier story than my other ones, but that'll be a challenge because I am a dark person by nature. Anyhow, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**


	2. Gradation

**Gradation**

Lo and behold, Annabeth did meet Percy again on the bus. She sat down in the same spot she did the day before, but this time she was at the stop on time. When Percy sprung into the bus, a bundle of energy, she watched with fascination as he smiled and warmly interacted with everyone on the bus. They all treated him like they personally knew him.

She became fixated with his appearance. He truly couldn't have been much older than her, but he conducted himself with more elegance, like he was sure about himself and his body. It would be hard not to when you looked like him - he looked like a male model; perfectly bronzed skin, lithe frame, infectious grin and white teeth, and heart melting sea green eyes. He had certainly struck the genetic lottery.

Quickly, Annabeth gave herself a once over, suddenly feeling self conscious. She wasn't _bad_ looking, she supposed. Her golden blond hair behaved itself well enough, she had tanned skin from her time in California, and she kept herself pretty fit. All in all, she felt alright about herself, but pale in comparison to the Adonis that was Percy.

Percy plopped himself next to her again, and flashed her a megawatt smile, and unknowingly, a blush colored Annabeth's cheeks as she smiled back. After fishing in his backpack again, Percy took out a pair of well worn in ear headphones and untangled them, simultaneously pulling out his iPhone.

Annabeth tried not to feel disappointed - she wanted to talk to him to learn more about him. She started when Percy nudged her and offered an one of the ears of his headphones. Annabeth smiled graciously and popped it into her right ear, and watched over Percy's shoulder as he scrolled through his music library to find a song.

He was doing that thing again when he ran his index finger over his bottom lip. Annabeth found the habit extraordinarily distracting.

The sound of a piano playing jarred her out of whatever fantasy land that she had been trapped in. Looking back down at his iPhone screen again, she saw that he had selected "Nocturne No. 20 in C Sharp Minor" by Chopin. The song choice struck her as odd considering Percy's permanent upbeat attitude.

She turned to see Percy examining her with an impassive expression. He looked to be deep in thought. When he noticed that she had seen, he smiled lazily at her before leaning back in his seat, leaving Annabeth confused.

Fidgeting with her fingers, Annabeth pondered possible topics of conversation, but she couldn't think of anything. Fortunately, Percy spared her by sliding his legal pad towards her.

_So how are you liking Juilliard so far?_

Annabeth bit her lip and thought for a while to try not to insult him. When her answer was fully formed in her head, she took the pen from his hand and printed in neat handwriting: _It's great, but you almost made my arms fall off from rehearsal last night..._

Percy read what she wrote, his brow furrowed, which looked adorable to Annabeth. Then suddenly he looked up at her with a wolfish grin on his face. He quickly flicked through his iPhone and selected a song, his grin never leaving his face.

When the first few chords of Fantasia began to play, Annabeth groaned audibly and Percy's grin widened. A twinkle appeared in his eyes as he increased the volume. It was a good thing that her other ear was free, otherwise she would have gone crazy.

After taking the legal pad back, Percy began to write once more.

_You wait till tonight - that's when you'll feel like trash. The second day is always the hardest because you're still going to be sore from the first day and have to deal with today. Don't worry, I'll go easier on you all today. :)_

Annabeth examined his crudely drawn smiley face with a smile. She rolled her eyes and wrote again on his pad: _I should hope so. _

Percy just smiled in response and their bus stopped at their destination. The both of them stepped out, but this time Annabeth accompanied him to Starbucks. She watched as Percy peered over his shoulder and smiled brightly when he saw her. He opened the door for her and gave a little bow, causing her to smile at his behavior.

They both walked in to the smell of coffee, and once they both placed their orders, they sat down at a table by the windows. When the barista called their orders, she also rang a little bell, and instantly Percy perked up and went to retrieve their drinks. This struck Annabeth as odd because the barista never rang the bell for any of the other customers.

As they both sipped on their drinks, Percy studied the Juilliard building with a wistful glint in his eyes. Annabeth took the opportunity to examine him again. He was wearing another button down linen shirt, this one green, and a pair of stonewashed blue jeans that also hung off his hips. Percy caught her gazing at him, and smirked at her causing Annabeth to flush in embarrassment.

Percy gave her his legal pad and when Annabeth read what he had wrote, she thought she was going to have a heart attack.

_Still think I am a barista, Ms. Chase? _

_Oh God! He knew! _Annabeth thought in horror.

Percy took the pad back and scribbled something else on it before returning it to her.

_That's right, I knew. ;)_

She almost spat her drink out when she saw the winky face at the end of his sentence. He was teasing her!

When she looked up, he was grinning at her with a trace of smug satisfaction, but she couldn't find it in her to be angry with him. She knew that it was all in good fun.

Percy scraped his chair back, pressed his hands against the table, and stood up. Annabeth swore she could see a brace tied to his wrists, but before she could ask him about it, he nodded to her and left the shop, his drink in hand.

~oOo~

Piper, Annabeth, and Reyna, along with a girl named Thalia that was also a dance student, were all eating lunch outside, basking in the warm sunshine. It had yet to get cold in New York which was welcome for Annabeth, having moved from California.

As they ate, Annabeth wondered about her mysterious professor that didn't seem to talk. She racked her brain to see if there was anything that she had heard about him before she had officially met him, maybe through some news story or something, but she turned out empty handed.

Piper spoke startling her out of her reverie, "Oh my gosh, Annabeth! Look what I found!"

Annabeth looked at her friend curiously who was flicking through her phone. Piper turned around and sat with her feet crossed, the phone on her lap with the volume turned up all the way.

When she looked up at Piper quizzically, she just pointed back down to the video screen.

She looked down and was shocked to see Percy on screen smiling at an interviewer on NPR.

"So Mr. Jackson, what first drew you to classical music?" The interviewer asked, and Percy laughed good naturedly, his voice ringing out melodiously.

He waved his hand carelessly. "Please, call me Percy," he said, and the interviewer smiled. His voice was incredibly soothing to listen to, and strangely musical in its cadence.

"Percy it is."

Percy sat forward in his chair and Annabeth noted that he couldn't have been more than seventeen years old and that he had a slight British accent.

"Well, I suppose it all started when I was around six years old when I saw a homeless man in New York playing the violin. Funnily enough, I don't remember exactly how good he was, but I did remember the song: Bach's Sonata No. 1 in G Minor. That song struck a chord with me, no pun intended, and ever since then, I have always wanted to play," he said, clasping his hands and placing them on his lap.

The interview continued, and Annabeth found herself enraptured with every word that he said. Percy was undoubtedly a musical genius for having played with such reputable orchestras at such a young age, but he had a humility to him that made him very likable. Apparently, he had lived in Europe for most of his adolescent life to avoid media attention in the states, which explained his accent and why Annabeth had never heard of him before.

Towards the end, the interviewer reminded the viewers to attend his concert at Carnegie Hall that week, and Percy smiled and informed the audience that it was a very special concert and he would love it if they could attend.

After the clip ended, Piper met her eyes and shared the same look of incredulity.

"He can talk!" They both exclaimed at the same time, causing Reyna and Thalia to look at them weirdly.

Then Piper launched into an explanation of Percy and his mysteriousness to the two other girls who both also looked equally as stunned and interested by his strange behavior.

Just then a blond boy walked over with a confused expression on his face.

"Hey, sis? Where's the piano wing? I'm supposed to be there for my lesson soon," the new arrival proclaimed and all the girls looked up at him.

Thalia answered, "What's up little bro! Oh, the piano wing? Hmm, I don't really know. Do either of you guys know?" she asked the rest of them, and Annabeth shook her head no.

"I do," Piper squeaked and the boy turned to her and smiled.

"Would please show me where it is? I am afraid that I'll get lost again," he said shyly, and Piper nodded weakly.

Thalia scowled at him and cocked an eyebrow. "No flirting with my friends, Jason," she warned and Piper's face flushed while Jason laughed at his sister.

"No promises, Thals," he said before he and Piper walked off together.

Thalia turned back grumbling only to see Annabeth and Reyna grinning up at her. "They're so in to each other!" They said together and Thalia paled.

"Him and Piper? No way!" Thalia said, more to reassure herself than anything else.

"You just wait. I bet they'll be going out within two months." Reyna proclaimed and Thalia peered up at her with a glint in her eyes.

"Wanna put your money where your mouth is, Lopez?" she challenged and Reyna shook her hand.

"Fine, twenty dollars if they aren't a couple in two months," Reyna said and Thalia grinned.

"You're going to regret this. My brother wouldn't know if a girl liked him even it hit him in the face," she said happily, and Reyna shrugged.

"We'll see."

"Your loss." Thalia said, shrugging as well.

~oOo~

That day after orchestra rehearsal, Annabeth stayed back to talk with Percy. He had definitely been right - she felt infinitely worse than she did yesterday. Her arms felt like they each weighed a ton.

She waited as everybody else shuffled out of the room and Percy tidied up his scores. She approached him as he was putting his bronze baton away.

As she drew close, Percy straightened himself up and smiled at her warmly. He went to the white board and scribbled something on the board.

_What can I help you with, Annabeth?_

Annabeth fidgeted slightly and in response produced her phone and played the clip of Percy's interview. He instantly stiffened and crossed his arms over his chest, the familiar wistful glint appearing once again in his eyes.

When the clip ended, Percy studied her for a moment, his head tilted slightly, before he tapped the board once again. He deliberately pointed to the question, and Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you talk in class? I know that you can talk judging by this video," she said, and Percy studied her closely as she spoke.

She noticed that Percy was studying her lips as she spoke, almost like he was... lip reading.

After about a second, a sad look crossed Percy's face and he sagged slightly. Annabeth suddenly felt really bad for making him so despondent, but she said nothing, still processing the whole lip reading thing.

He couldn't have been deaf, otherwise he couldn't conduct the orchestra at all. However, that didn't explain why he had to study her lips as she talked. She knew that he was trying to read her lips judging by the way his face was tensed with concentration.

She started when Percy turned to the white board again to scribble something else on the board.

_Because I can't. I would really prefer it if you would ask me questions pertaining to the class instead of personal questions. Please don't make this a habit. Now is there anything else that I can help you with? _

He wrote and stood with a wry smile. Reading his message made Annabeth feel even worse than before so she apologized and left the rehearsal knowing that Percy was staring holes through the back of her head.

~oOo~

That night Annabeth was doing some research on her new professor off of the internet. There was remarkably little on him, and most of the sources she did find where in German or French so she couldn't read them anyways. Whoever his manager was, he/she did a very very good job of keeping him out of the news.

She gave up after thirty minutes into her search and fell back onto her bed, her laptop now on top of her stomach. Tiredly, she ran a hand across her face and looked at Reyna's empty bed. The other girl had decided to spend the night out with Thalia and Piper, and she had asked Annabeth to join them, but she was too tired and too curious about Percy to attend.

Then inspiration struck her, and her fingers began to fly across her keyboard.

_Mutism._

She entered into the google search bar and pulled up the Wikipedia page. Scrolling to the bottom, she saw several links on different types of mutism. She paged through several of them until she found something that fit with what Percy had, and when she did, chills ran through her body.

_**Aphasia**__ is the disturbance in formulation and comprehension of language. This class of language disorder ranges from having difficulty remembering words to being completely unable to speak, read, or write._

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks for the response I got for the first chapter - it was very encouraging. Well, I don't have much to say about this chapter, except that Percy's mystery is still not over entirely. Aphasia is only the tip of the iceberg and even then, he doesn't have Aphasia in its purest sense since he can read and write. However, Percy can't speak and he also can't process speech which is why he can't understand Annabeth when she speaks, but can still conduct an orchestra since there are no words. **


	3. Drunk

**Drunk**

"I CAN TELL THAT WE ARE GONNA BE FRIENDS!" Piper belted, causing Annabeth to cup her ears.

She knew that Piper was singing poorly on purpose because she had heard her sing in the shower rooms when she thought no one was there, and she sounded pretty good then. Piper gave her a cheery grin, and continued onto the next verse while Annabeth rolled her eyes and began to type on her laptop. There was a paper due in her music theory class, and that was every bit as ridiculous as it sounded.

"TEACHER SAYS THAT I SOUND FUNNY, BUT SHE LIKES THE WAY YOU SING!"

"Piper-"

"TONIGHT I'LL DREAM WHILE I'M IN BED, WHILE SILLY THOUGHTS GO THROUGH MY HEAD!" Piper sang raucously, completely ignoring Annabeth.

"Piper-" Annabeth said louder.

"ABOUT THE BUGS AND ALPHABET, WHEN I WAKE TOMORROW I'LL BET, THAT YOU AND I WILL WALK TOGETHER AGAIN!"

"PIPER!" Annabeth screamed, and the Cherokee girl finally stopped, smirking at her friend.

"Yes?" Piper asked innocently, and Annabeth rolled her eyes.

Annabeth sighed and said, "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

Piper grinned even more widely and said, "Thanks! I try!"

Deciding that Piper was a lost cause, Annabeth turned back to her computer and continued to type. They were supposed to be working on the paper together, and then at around seven they were going out with Thalia and Reyna. Annabeth didn't know exactly what they were going to do, but she assumed that they were going to eat, and then maybe going either to watch a movie or to a club of some sorts.

Annabeth wasn't social butterfly, and generally, she preferred being alone to being with people. Most people were loud, obnoxious, and vile, and so, she much preferred the solace of her room or the TV to interacting with them. Occasionally, you strike gold and find a gem among the sea of trash that is the human race, and maybe you can establish a bond with them, but sometimes it is more trouble looking than it was worth. Humans were a capricious lot, and they constantly wavered, pursuing a permanent state of instant gratification, so many people used each other to only serve their own selfish desires. Yup, a good book and some tea while being curled up on her favorite chair at home was infinitely preferable to all of that drama.

"Piper, keep working on your paper otherwise we are going to be late," Annabeth warned, but the Cherokee girl flopped onto Annabeth's bed.

They were working in Annabeth's dorm since Reyna was out with Thalia doing some sort of dance rehearsal. There was still an hour or so left before they had agreed to meet at the dorms to leave.

Piper rolled her head sideways, a twinkle in her eyes. "I already finished it."

Annabeth's eyes bulged comically. "Wha-, how?" she sputtered.

"I'm a theory freak. You know that Annabeth," Piper said, and Annabeth sat back, looking slightly dazed.

The theory assignment was a really big deal, and Annabeth certainly wasn't having an easy time with it, but Piper was amazing at music theory so she somehow finished the paper already that Annabeth had been working on for four days straight.

So while Annabeth tried to focus and finish the paper, Piper pranced around the room singing songs as obnoxiously as she could just for the fun of it. Despite her annoyance with her friend, Annabeth couldn't help but grin at her bubbly, vivacious personality. However, in times like these, she much preferred her roommate, Reyna, to be here since she was more serious and quiet.

Finally, at around six forty, Annabeth saved her work and decided to get dressed as Piper fled to her own room to get ready as well. Then at seven the stood in front of the dorms and waited for Reyna and Thalia, both walking and laughing in the distance. A short while later, they found themselves in some club with music that was way too loud and people that were way too drunk, but Thalia insisted that they stay, and Piper never one to miss out on a new experience readily agreed. Annabeth attempted to protest and tried to enlist Reyna as support, but she was neutral and so she had to submit.

Immediately, Thalia and Reyna found some guys to dance with, leaving Piper and Annabeth alone. Both of them took inventory of the club, and decided to sit out for a while until things cleared up because the dance floor was way too crowded. For a while, the both of them talked with one another over the din of the music, but they quickly got bored. Then someone approached them and tapped Piper's shoulder, causing her to turn around to see Jason standing there somewhat shyly.

"Hi Piper," he said, and Piper grinned.

"Jason, hey! Nice to see you here!" she enthused, and Annabeth watched them both with avid interest.

Jason shuffled his feet back and forth, then rubbed the back of his neck, then looked around the club, and finally faced Piper again. "Um, if it isn't too much trouble, I was wondering if you might want to dance with me?" he asked shyly, and Annabeth swore she saw Piper blush.

"Oh, of course I will!" Piper declared and Jason's head snapped up, his eyes wide.

"Really?" he asked hopefully, and in response, Piper dragged him out onto the dance floor.

As she wandered away, she looked over at her shoulder to see Annabeth and mouthed, "Holy crap!" and gesticulated to Jason causing Annabeth to laugh. Then Annabeth wiggled her eyebrows suggestively causing Piper to blush furiously and turn away.

After Piper left, Annabeth sighed to herself, regretting the decision to come out at all. She huffed and looked around the club, and nearly fell out of her chair when she saw Percy standing outside the club, looking up at the sign or something. Quickly, she composed herself and walked out the door to coax him inside.

"Percy, hey!" Annabeth said, kind of over enunciating her words to make her lips more readable.

Percy smiled brightly at her and waved his hello, but a look of puzzlement drifted across his face when he heard the exaggerated fashion that Annabeth spoke. Annabeth caught herself and berated herself internally for making such a stupid mistake.

Percy pointed to the club sign and looked at her questioningly, as if to ask if she had been in there. Annabeth nodded in response, and pointed to her friends through the glass causing Percy to nod in understanding.

"Want to come inside?" Annabeth asked hopefully, and after a delay that Annabeth attributed to his processing her lip movement, Percy shrugged and walked with her into the club. The volume of the music was not lost on Percy as he cupped his ears the instant he walked in and winced, causing Annabeth to gave him a sympathetic smile. They walked back to where Annabeth was standing and once they sat down, Percy slid his ever present notebook in her direction.

_Wanna dance with me? _

Annabeth read over the sharp script several times to make sure she wasn't hallucinating or something. When she looked up, Percy was looking at her somewhat impassively, but she could see a flicker of apprehension or fear of rejection in them. He would be a master of controlling his emotions if his eyes weren't so expressive - they betrayed his every thought.

When she nodded, Percy grinned and they both made their way to the dance floor. Piper shot her a devilish smile when she saw the both of them on the dance floor together because she always teased Annabeth for having a crush on him, which was true, but she would never admit to her.

Percy began to dance fluidly practically doing all the work for Annabeth - all she had to do was follow him. He was a remarkable dancer, and she supposed that was probably from his time in Europe where there would have been a lot of opportunities for him to learn how to dance.

Even though they didn't really say anything to one another, there wasn't an awkward feeling hovering in the background because they were so focused on the dancing. As they moved, Annabeth once again drank in his appearance. His jet black hair was wet, probably from a recent shower, and he wasn't wearing a linen shirt this time, he had opted for a white v-neck and black jeans to match.

_Blessed Athena, does he ever look unattractive? _Annabeth thought dryly before catching herself.

_Stop! You can't think about your professor like that even if he's around your age, incredibly talented, and insanely attrac- Holy Zeus, my arm just brushed against his abs and it felt like it was sculpted out of marble! Dear god! _

Annabeth looked up to see Percy looking at her curiously and smiling slightly. He brought his hand up to his hand and mimed an explosion to indicate that's what he imagined Annabeth's thought process to be like causing her to laugh.

Percy ran a finger along Annabeth's arm making her shiver, but then she realized he was spelling out words, and she focused on interpreting them.

_Congratulations on making it through your first week! _He wrote, and Annabeth grinned back up at him.

"Thanks! It's been tough, but I've loved every second of it," Annabeth said, and Percy smiled at her. He wrote something else on her arm.

_Good to hear! I'm glad that you didn't get scared off, but then again, I didn't really think you would. It's great to have you in the orchestra. _

Annabeth's heart rate nearly doubled once she processed his words. _Holy crap! He says he's glad that I stayed and that it's good to have me in the orchestra! _

Percy made another explosion motion and Annabeth laughed again. Then Thalia waltzed over and grinned at the two of them. She stuck her hand out to Percy, and he tentatively shook it.

"So, it it isn't Professor Silent McHottie. Nice to meet you, I'm Thalia, and Annabeth's crazy about you!" Thalia declared, and Annabeth blanched.

"Will you excuse us for a second, Professor Jackson?" Annabeth asked politely, putting on a very strained smile.

Percy peered down at her in concern and smiled really widely before mouthing "Professor Jackson?" and then made a shooing motion to indicate that Annabeth could leave. Without warning, Annabeth grabbed Thalia by the wrist and dragged her away from Percy before she could cause any further damage.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Thalia said, wincing as Annabeth released her wrist.

"Why in the world did you do that?" she hissed, and Thalia recoiled before advancing.

"Hey, I am doing you a favor. Now he knows you're interested, and who knows? He might ask you out before the night is over," Thalia said brightly causing Annabeth to drag her hand across her face.

After sighing deeply, she said, "Thals, it isn't that simple, you know. He's my professor, and now he's going to think that I'm creepy."

Thalia frowned. "Well didn't you say that he had asparagus or something?"

"Aphasia, and I don't know for sure," Annabeth corrected, and Thalia shrugged.

"Same difference - potato, patato, tomato, tamato."

"Asparagus doesn't even remotely sound like aphasia."

Thalia looked stumped and then shrugged. "Can't win 'em all, can you?"

Annabeth sighed in exasperation at her antics and sent her in the direction of a punk rocker looking kind of guy. Thalia didn't need the encouragement apparently because she skipped over to him like a little school girl, leaving Annabeth to search for Percy among the sea of writhing bodies.

She searched for a few minutes in vain before someone tapped her shoulder. She turned around hoping it was Percy, but was disappointed to see some older college guy standing in front of her holding a beer in his hand. The fumes from the drink made her slightly nauseous, but she managed to force out a smile.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asked.

"Umm, no, I don't drink. I'm actually looking for a friend," Annabeth explained, and the guy nodded.

"You mean that dark haired guy you were with earlier?" he asked, and Annabeth thought it was strange that he had seen her with Percy before hand, but she nodded like she didn't care.

The boy jerked his thumb over his shoulder pointing to a crowd of boys converged upon something. "Well, he's chatting with Professor Moonlace, but if you ask me, I think they're kind of flirting. Go see for yourself though, don't take my word for it," he explained, and Annabeth's heart sank.

She stood up on top of a chair and saw Percy with an incredibly beautiful woman who was smiling and laughing flirtatiously. Her chest constricted when the woman ran her hand along Percy's forearm naturally, but she could see how her slender fingers seemed to cling to him almost. The woman had glossy chocolaty brown hair, large almond colored eyes, and her skin was caramel colored. She looked absolutely stunning, like an actress walking off the pages of a glamour magazine. Now Annabeth could understand why there were so many guys crowding around her.

Jealousy bubbled inside the depths of Annabeth's stomach, and it disturbed her because she didn't have any claim to her professor. Also, she couldn't exactly go out with him if she didn't want to tread on some toes or spark controversy that might get her expelled. Nevertheless, her brain went on overdrive.

_Who is she? That guy mentioned she was a professor. What was it? Professor Moonsomething, I think. Moonshine? No. Moonlight? Nope. Moonlace? Oh yeah, that's her name. How well do they know each other? Is she his girlfriend or something? _

She stepped off the chair with a heavy heart, and turned to the boy who was still standing there, looking at her curiously. Annabeth brought a hand to her forehead and sighed to herself, feeling foolish for letting her imagination run wild about Percy, and slightly ashamed that she felt so strongly about him when she knew virtually nothing about him.

"I think I'll take that drink now," she said feebly, and the guy nodded, magically producing a beer out of no where.

Annabeth cautiously took a swig, and when she realized it wasn't so bad, she drank the whole bottle without stopping. When she stopped, the guy was grinning at her and shaking his head at her.

"What?" Annabeth challenged, feeling a tad woozy, but ignoring it.

"Nothing. Want another one?" he asked, and Annabeth nodded.

Soon, time began to blur as Annabeth continued drinking, far too much for her first time at least. She learned that the brown haired boy's name was Davis, and that he was a junior at NYU. The caramel skinned goddess was Professor Calypso Moonlace, and she taught botany at Columbia, and no, she did not in fact know Percy. However, Annabeth suspected that by the end of the night, they would get to know each other very _very_ well.

Somewhere during her third beer, she fell out of her chair and giggled uncontrollably. She was drunk of her rocker, and definitely not in control of her mental faculties. Once she righted herself, a notebook slid towards her and she struggled to make out the words.

_Annabeth, are you okay? _

She turned to see Percy standing next to her, his face furrowed with concern. Annabeth laughed drunkenly, and said, "Pershy! There you are, you super model, you! You left me all alone on the dance floor. I was so lonely," Annabeth slurred, and Percy's face darkened.

He took the notebook back and wrote something else on it.

_Where are your friends? Where's Piper? _

"I don't know - Jason's pants maybe!" Annabeth said, laughing riotously at her own joke.

_Come with me - I'm taking you home. _

"No! I'm not done yet! I am having an absholuthly wonderful time with Daniel, here," Annabeth exclaimed.

"It's Davis," the boy corrected, and Percy gave him a pointed look, causing him to cringe.

When he looked at Annabeth again, he softened, and pointed once again to his notebook, and Annabeth petulantly refused causing Percy to sigh in frustration. After a few more minutes of coaxing, Annabeth was adamantly refusing to the leave the night club, and Percy gave up.

_Fine! Stay here if you want. Don't drink anymore, call a cab - DO NOT drive by yourself, and make good choices._

Annabeth read this last message and giggled. "What are you, my mother?"

Percy gave her one last indecipherable look before turning on his heels and leaving without another word. Annabeth noted with satisfaction somewhere through her drunken haze that he hadn't left with Calypso, and she smiled stupidly to herself. After another hour and one more drink, ignoring Percy's protests, Annabeth was officially wasted.

She stumbled out of the bar murmuring her thanks to Davis, still calling him Daniel, and attempted to walk down the street. Everything swam in her vision and she frequently tripped over her own feet. She completely forgot Percy's command to hail a cab, and instead attempted to walk all the way back to the dorms. It was late out, and New York was still teeming with activity. However, with each progressive step that Annabeth took, she only got sleepier.

Annabeth slouched against an apartment building trying to keep her eyes open, but failing miserably. Her feet buckled out from under her and she collapsed on the ground with a yawn, curling up against the pavement. Vaguely, she registered footsteps, but she was too far gone to care.

The last thing Annabeth remembered before blacking out was seeing Percy's sea green eyes gazing down at her with disappointment and concern.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! I apologize for making Annabeth fan girl like crazy this chapter, and for adding all those annoying songs, but I thought they were kind of funny. Piper is hilarious. I'll try to keep the fan-girling to a minimum. So Calypso makes an appearance! I swear I am not going to make her a catty sleaze bag since I really like her. I won't do the thing I did with Reyna in Second Chance with Calypso. She's just here to complicate things. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**

**Side Note: My school orchestra just played Fantasia for a concert on Thursday and it went really well! We were super worried because at rehearsal earlier that day, we sounded really scrappy, but we pulled a concert miracle and definitely did the best between the Band and the Choir. Anyhow, I am sure you don't really care, but I was excited about it. If you haven't already, you should give Fantasia a listen. It's really long, but I love it to death. That will be all. **


	4. Revelations

**Revelations**

The warm glow of the sunlight streaming through the curtains made Annabeth groan and turn over, clutching the blanket closer to her body. She was loathe to rouse herself when she could just sleep and bask in the gentle sunshine instead. Annabeth might have iron clad discipline, but she too enjoyed the comforts of a lazy day as much as any other person. Not soon after, the sounds of chirping birds broke the still of the silence. Unable to keep her eyes closed any longer, Annabeth begrudgingly roused herself, stretching luxuriously.

Instantly, she flopped back against the mattress, her hand coming up to cup her forehead. She felt terrible. Her tongue felt like dry sandpaper, and her throat felt incredibly scratchy. She was positively convinced a tiny dwarf had taken residence inside her head and was using a jackhammer to break through her skull. Groaning loudly, Annabeth pulled the covers over her head, trying to drown out the agony that she was feeling. Her head throbbed and she found her thought process to be hazy and murky. Weakly, she swore that she would never drink again.

She sat upright suddenly when she realized that she was in uncharted territory. For a brief moment, she allowed herself to panic, but then calmed down when she realized she still had her clothes on. She quickly slipped out of the bed and surveyed her surroundings. She had been sleeping in a four poster bed with a low hanging white linen canopy. Her architecture phase told her that the windows were done in a french style, as was most of the bedroom. It had an airy, spacious feel to it all. Under different circumstances, she would have whistled in approval. The owner definitely had good taste.

Stealthily, she padded out of the bedroom with the intention of making a mad dash to the door the second she stepped out. However, she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Percy Jackson standing in the kitchen, in his pajamas, making breakfast. Percy, sensing her presence, turned around to face her with a bright smile that made her heart flutter pleasurably. She was suddenly hyperaware of the fact that she looked like a slob whereas he looked as amazing as he always did. She dryly wondered if he woke up looking perfect every morning.

Percy beckoned her to come into the kitchen, and when she did, he gestured to the breakfast he had prepared for the both of them. Annabeth instinctively reached for a cup of tea and took a tentative sip before humming in approval. It was a honey lemon brew that was doing wonders for her scorched throat. When she realized that Percy was observing her with a whimsical grin on his face, she felt horribly self-conscious. He had his hands clasped and resting under his chin as he watched her drink the tea with amusement. Annabeth could not have been more embarrassed. Having to be rescued after you fell unconscious from binge drinking by your professor definitely ranked pretty high on the awkward scale.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you that it was impolite to stare?" Annabeth asked, unable to bear his gaze any longer but not really thinking about what she was saying.

The second those words left her mouth, Annabeth was convinced that she was going to die of embarrassment. Was there no limit to her insolence? There would be a special place in hell for people like Annabeth, of that she was sure. When she looked up, Percy only smiled even more widely than he did before. He slid his handy dandy notebook towards her, and she leaned forward to take a look.

_I was never one to listen to my mother. Besides, I think that after collapsing unconscious against my apartment after drinking yourself silly, you are in no position to chastise me._

Annabeth's face heated up like a furnace. She was positive that her embarrassment could be tangibly felt by her professor. Unable to look him in the eyes, she busied herself with her tea, trying to imagine that he wasn't there at all. Percy gestured to the eggs and Annabeth looked at them curiously before wrinkling her nose in disgust. They were swamped with some green sauce. Percy retrieved his notebook and scribbled something else on it.

_It's a green chili sauce that will do wonders for your hangover. Try some, and if you don't like it, you don't need to eat it. _

After taking a tentative spoonful of the eggs, Annabeth winced at the vibrant spicy taste, but her head instantly cleared. It was like a breath of fresh air for her entire intoxicated system. She ravenously began to devour the eggs, now acclimatized to their spicy taste. They were delicious and incredibly restorative. It was only after she finished that she noticed Percy was looking at her with a happy smile. When she met his eyes, his smile grew even wider and Annabeth swore it lit up the room. He might have been liberal with his smiles, but each smile felt unique to the person receiving them.

"Thanks for bringing me in here. I'm glad that you found me. I would hate to think about what could have happened," Annabeth said before shivering at imagined outcomes of the night before.

_No problem! I hope this teaches you to be a little more careful around the alcohol. Underage drinking is a big no-no. _

Annabeth looked away in shame. She was a good girl that always abided by the rules, and last night had been a one time affair. She was convinced that she wouldn't be approaching alcohol anytime soon after _that_ fiasco. Percy stood up abruptly, took his notebook back, wrote something, and then gave it back.

_I'm going to take a shower. Make yourself comfortable, and give your friends a call. I'm sure that they must be worried. _

Annabeth nodded and fished inside her pockets for her phone. After Percy left, she called Piper to inform her that she was doing fine and that she would tell her everything after she got back. Percy still didn't return when she was finished with her call, so she stood up and wandered around the living room. It was clear that Percy lived alone, and his apartment was pretty sparsely decorated. A few photo frames hung on the wall caught her eye, and she went closer to examine them.

The first picture was of a teenage Percy, probably thirteen or fourteen years old, standing with a violin in hand in the middle of Carnegie Hall. Annabeth let out a little whistle of approval and admiration before moving onto the next one. This picture was of a younger Percy, probably seven or eight, standing next to a beautiful woman with brown hair and kind, blue eyes. They both had dopey smiles as they smiled into the camera, and judging by their resemblance, Annabeth guessed that the woman was his mother. The final picture was not a picture at all, but rather a clipping of a newspaper article.

It read: _Classical music prodigy Percy Jackson's musical career comes to a grinding halt!_

It was simply a headline, and the paper didn't elaborate further, but it showed a picture of Percy entering a medical clinic with his mother standing next to him. Annabeth turned instinctively when she felt a pair of eyes on her. Percy walked across from the doorway he had been leaning on towards her, his expression impenetrable. Annabeth became fidgety because she felt like she had invaded his privacy in a way. Percy stopped next to her and looked wistfully at the article that Annabeth had been looking at previously, his eyes burning with a strange emotion. Annabeth stood respectfully, trying to ignore the intoxicating scent of his body wash to the best of her ability.

Percy put his hand on her shoulder, and she turned around to face him. With a grim smile, Percy pulled back his shirt sleeve to reveal two black braces around his wrists. He held them up so that Annabeth could see them clearly. With gentle, yet trembling fingers, Annabeth touched the braces and looked up at Percy who merely stared off into the distance, his jaw tight. Then Percy suddenly retracted his hands and rolled his sleeves back down, leaving Annabeth's fingers suspended in the air.

A very uncomfortable silence enveloped them until Percy sighed and wrote something on his notebook before giving it to Annabeth.

_Have you ever been to the Statue of Liberty yet? _

Annabeth shook her head no.

_What about Times Square or the Empire State Building? _

Annabeth wrote back: _I literally just got here - I haven't had much time to look around. _

His response came back promptly. _Well, would you like to go? _

Annabeth made sure to read over the line multiple times to make sure she wasn't missing something. She nodded once she realized that Percy was being serious, and he beamed at her. After showing her to the shower and handing her some of his spare clothes that he had lying around, they both left his apartment.

They spent the entire day sightseeing, and Annabeth enjoyed herself immensely. They went to the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island and took corny pictures in front of it, and Annabeth went on a rant about how the statue was actually a gift from the French to the US. Percy politely listened and asked intelligent clarification questions that kept her engaged, but she felt kind of bad for boring him so much. She realized that she was still stuck in the architecture phase.

The Empire State Building was no better. The entire elevator ride up, Annabeth wouldn't stop talking about the design and how amazing it was that this building had been constructed. Many of the other members in the elevator told her to shut up none too kindly, but that didn't deter her. She was on a roll, and there was no way she was going to stop until she was done so they could just sit back and enjoy the show _thank you very much_.

The view from the top was absolutely enrapturing to Annabeth. San Fran had nothing the view of the New York City skyline from the top of the Empire State. The cars down below looked like tiny toy cars, and Percy even let her use the binocular thingies that they have at the top to look at everything. At one point, she looked back at Percy with the biggest smile on her face, and she swore she could detect the faintest hints of blush coloring his cheeks, but she was too preoccupied to truly notice.

Later, they went to the giant Toys-R-Us store and Annabeth felt like a kid in a candy store. She could imagine coming there as a little girl, being surrounded by walls and walls of toys. It must have been nothing short of paradise. Everything about New York City just had that element of mysticism to it, like every building, every sight, every person was magical in their own special way. She didn't understand why they called it the Big Apple. They should have just called it the City of Magic or something along those lines, but Annabeth admitted that that sounded cheesy even to her ears.

They both stopped at some famous pizza place to have dinner. Percy claimed that she could not call herself a New Yorker until she had pizza there. He showed proper New York pizza eating etiquette where you kind of fold the pizza in on itself to maximize the flavor. Annabeth could safely say that it was the best pizza that she had ever had.

Of course, no tour of the Big Apple was complete without visiting Times Square. The most iconic image of American consumerism and capitalism other than Wall Street, Times Square held a charm all of its own. It could probably have single-handedly given NYC the moniker "The City That Never Sleeps". Annabeth couldn't imagine how many people were there, ambling leisurely about the square, as she walked around with Percy.

Throughout the entire day, Percy had respectfully shown an over-enthusiastic Annabeth all that there was to see about New York City. However, deep inside, Annabeth couldn't shake the feeling that this tour was somewhat of a date, but that was too weird to think about. Dating your professor, even if he is only two years older than you, is very gross. Despite that, there was a growing sense of attraction that Annabeth felt towards him that she could no longer deny. Apart from his silence, there wasn't much difference between him and any other guy that she had been with. He was certainly far more intellectually engaging, respectful, and worldly than other guys she had interacted with, and that only added to his allure.

They found themselves walking back to the dorms in a comfortable silence before Annabeth asked a question plaguing her mind the entire day. "Hey Percy, what's wrong with your wrists?"

Percy looked at her and then at the ground for a few seconds before writing something and handing it to her.

_They don't move like I want them to anymore. _

Annabeth read what he wrote and her heart plunged. So that was why he couldn't play anymore! She wondered exactly what happened to him, and so she asked.

_I don't want to talk about it. Let's just say that it took more than one thing away from me. _

She wondered what he meant by that, but she didn't ask. Whatever happened to him, she pitied him. He was a great musician, hailed as a prodigy. He had his entire future ahead of him, but now he couldn't even play anymore. Annabeth pondered what her life would have been like if she couldn't play anymore. She found that she couldn't comprehend a reality without the ability to play music. Music defined her, it made her who she was, and being without it would have been like trying to run a race without one of her legs.

It was probably infinitely worse for a guy like Percy who had come so far in the music world in such a short amount of time. The most important thing in his life had somehow been taken away from him, and Annabeth found herself cursing his misfortune. She wondered what it would have been like to see him play live, at the pinnacle of his career. She bet the experience must have been nothing short of magical.

She told him that, and for the first time since they had met, he laughed. The sound was so infectiously happy that it filled Annabeth's body with a strange warmth that left her feeling incredibly happy.

_I wouldn't say that it was magical, but it was certainly a sight to behold. _

_I miss it. More than you can imagine. _He added, and Annabeth smiled sympathetically up at him.

By this point, they had reached the dorms and Percy stood there with a small smile. He politely thanked her for such a wonderful day, and she did so as well, before he turned around and left. Annabeth just stood there for a while, watching him walk back to his apartment, with a smile on her face. It certainly did feel like a date, but she found herself not caring. In fact, she was actually kind of happy about it. He was probably just doing it to be nice, but it certainly made her feel special.

The second she entered her room, Piper pounced on her, asking for details. Annabeth waved her off, telling her that she would tell her everything the next day despite Piper's protests. Piper even threatened to sing if she didn't, but Annabeth was too tired and in too much of a happy dazed post-date glow to care. Ultimately, she fell asleep just when Piper's insufferable caterwauling began.

* * *

**A/N: Yes! I finally managed to update. I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter - it was really straightforward so I don't have too much to say. I have a sore throat so some tea and chili sauce sounds delightful right about now. New York City is also an amazing place that everyone should visit at least once in their life time. I haven't been there in a while, but when I did go as a kid, there was giant dinosaur in the Toys-R-Us there that I was fascinated with. It's probably the most magical place in the world. Please help me try to pass 100 reviews with this chapter! Thanks for reading, and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**


	5. Shameful Metaphors

**A/N: Again, I'll proof read later. Thank you!**

**Shameful Metaphors**

Annabeth found herself following her typical morning routine as she clambered onto the bus, her violin case slung carelessly over her right shoulder. The weekend had passed all too quickly, and her second month at Juilliard was already drawing to a quick close. The quarter would be over sometime soon, specifically by the end of the month. That meant that the Fall Concert was drawing closer and closer. In fact, this was their last week of rehearsal time before they had to perform.

For the most part, Annabeth found herself getting increasingly more nervous as the deadline approached, hoping that she wouldn't embarrass herself. Thankfully, in an orchestra, you sort of have leeway to mess up, but when you're in Juilliard, mistakes stick out like sore thumbs. In the world of the musical elite, small mistakes with intonation or rhythm were incredibly shameful acts that could leave you feeling depressed for days, only to make practice your heart out like someone possessed.

She sank into her usual seat and wrapped her sweater tighter against her frame, already feeling the bitter frosty quality in the air. Coming from California, the change in weather was thoroughly unwelcome, and she was absolutely certain she would have to dress like an eskimo during the peak of winter. She dreaded thinking about December and the cold. Images of disease and bed-ridden days where she was too tired to move her body filled her brain. Annabeth shivered in her seat, sending her wavy blonde hair into a frenzy.

The tell tale hiss of the bus doors opening told her Percy would be getting on sometime soon. Sure enough, she saw her youthful professor bound onto the bus with his usual energy, beaming at everyone that he saw. Annabeth still couldn't keep the grin off her face when she watched him parade around the bus every morning. It was like his enthusiasm and happiness was infectious.

That being said, Annabeth had quickly discovered that Percy was the definition of capricious. He could be jolly and energetic one second, and harsh and recluse the next. His moods changed like the ocean, and the key to it all was his eyes. If they were bright and lively like they were in the mornings, then he would be happy and approachable. However, if his eyes became cold, or, god forbid, _darkened_, then it would behoove you to stay away.

Percy slid into his usual seat besides Annabeth with practiced grace, and treated her to a soul warming, mega-watt smile that lit up her immediate surroundings. Inside her brain, Annabeth mentally cursed herself. She had hoped that her attraction for her enigmatic, yet attractive professor would have been a short term deal. She figured that she was simply enamored with him since she was fresh into college, and was therefore naive and unworldly, easily fascinated by professors far more knowledgable, confident, and worldly then herself. Unfortunately, it was not just a passing phase - her attraction, she had to begrudgingly admit, was real.

_Top of the morning to you, lassie! _Percy wrote, sliding his notebook over with a grin.

Annabeth smiled, reading his words in a Scottish accent. If there was one thing that she had to admit, it was that Percy seemed to possess almost a magical ability to make her smile. Then again, she was pretty sure that he made anyone smile. The funny thing was that he couldn't even say anything either, but there was something that he just effused that made it impossible to remain dreary. Annabeth wasn't much of a perky, "rainbows and unicorns" girl, and more often than not, she thought that people with endless energy and enthusiasm were flat out annoying. For all she cared, they could take their cheeriness far _far_ away from her, and leave her alone in peace, _thank you very much_. Percy was probably the sole exception because his happiness wasn't obnoxious, it was simply genuine, and that made it infectious.

"Morning, Professor," she teased, and Percy rolled his eyes exaggeratedly at her. He didn't like her nickname for him nearly as much as she did, but then again, she liked it because it annoyed him.

_Ugh, stop with that professor stuff. It makes me feel old. _

"But, Professor, you _are_ old. How else could you have accumulated such vast knowledge?" Annabeth asked innocently, and Percy gave her a wry smile, but the twinkle in his eyes told her he was amused.

_You're such a sycophant, Chase. _He wrote, underlining the word sycophant for added emphasis.

"You're just being modest, good Professor," she teased, and Percy harrumphed, digging in his backpack for his iPod.

As was customary between the both of them, they used a headphone splicer and listened to his music. For the majority of their ride, they listened to different pieces of classical music, but it quickly got boring. Annabeth took the iPod and decided to find some new song, preferably something that wasn't classical. She couldn't find a single song that wasn't classical. She was about to tease him about it when she realized that it was because he could no longer process the lyrics and therefore couldn't enjoy the music. The thought made a lance of pain shoot through her heart.

She was about to put the iPod back on his lap when something caught her eye. After further inspection she was surprised to see that there was one song that wasn't classical. It was a song that she had never heard before, so she clicked on it out of curiosity. She jolted at the sounds of a fuzzy sounding guitar being strummed before it was joined by an awesome syncopated drum beat. Percy cast her a wary glance, but didn't do anything to stop the song. Annabeth listened attentively to try to figure out why this was the only song that he had on his iPod that had lyrics. It was undoubtedly very special to him.

_By my admission, nothing grows_  
_Just a longer list of unsorted laws_

_So why then has all my life made no sound?_  
_And are your eyes closing even now?_  
_My life made no sound_  
_I fear your eyes closing_

Annabeth's heart rose to her throat. "My life made no sound?" Annabeth thought with sorrow. She now understood why this was the only song on Percy's iPod with lyrics. It was a song that captured the entirety of his problems with simple, hauntingly poetic lyrics.

_Kind of apt, huh? _Percy wrote, sending her the notebook, his face lined with weary sorrow.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," she whispered, her voice quiver tremulously.

Percy gave her a sad smile, and shrugged indifferently before turning away from her and looking out the window. Annabeth went silent and listened to the rest of the song ruminatively.

_These shameful metaphors, I fought it through the teeth_  
_Shameful metaphors biting at your heels_  
_Shameful metaphors, I fought it cheek to cheek..._

~oOo~

The experience on the bus had been a sobering one for Annabeth. She felt like she had seen a vulnerable side to her professor that she never thought she would be privy to. In a sense, she felt that she had sort of infringed on his privacy.

Naturally, she found it incredibly difficult to pay attention to any of her classes. Throughout the entire day, she dreaded having large group rehearsal. For some reason, that song shook Annabeth to her core simply because of how simple, yet haunting the lyrics were. They posed so innocent a question for such an intricate problem - it seemed childish, but oddly poetic to her. The song itself wasn't extraordinary, but Annabeth could recognize fantastic lyrics when she saw them, and that song's lyrics were definitely up there.

After her theory class ended, she went over to the Starbucks across the street to eat with Piper and the rest. When she walked in, all of her friends were already seated and engaged in conversation. Clearing her mind, Annabeth sat down in an empty chair in between Thalia and Reyna. So far, she had decided to keep the song a secret; it just felt wrong to tell them something that personal.

She found herself quickly caught in a conversation that they were having about Jason, Piper's new boyfriend. Reyna had obviously won the bet, and Thalia reluctantly handed her the prize money with a sour look on her face. Reyna merely wore a sly grin that just seemed to frustrate Thalia even more, which Annabeth found incredibly amusing. The entire time, Piper remained oddly silent and blushed to herself with a dreamy, vacant expression in her eyes.

Thalia turned to Piper with a frown after she finally parted with her money. "How did you do it? Jason's so blind to everything, there's no way he actually had the guts to ask you out," Thalia demanded, crossing her arms across her chest.

Piper shrugged and smiled softly. "I don't know. He was really nervous when he did ask, but I thought it was kind of sweet," she said quietly.

Thalia groaned. "What?" Annabeth asked, a blithe smile tugging at her lips.

The other girl ran her hand through her hair in an expression of exasperation. "What am I going to do if they break up? Like, who's side do I take? Do I help my stupid brother or my awesome new friend?" Thalia whined.

"Sounds like you've already made up your mind," Reyna said dryly, and Annabeth grinned at her.

Thalia shrugged. "Well, Jason might be an idiot, but he is family. Don't count him out just yet," she said.

Such was their conversation, and after another thirty minutes of joking, their lunch ended and they made their way to class. Annabeth sighed as she parted from them and began to head down a separate wing for group lessons. In group lessons, she was paired with the stand in front of her (first stand in this case), and with members from the other sections. Annabeth was second chair, which was a huge accomplishment, but she wished that was first stand. She couldn't really blame herself though, because the boy and girl that sat in first stand were ridiculous. Annabeth wouldn't say that they outclassed her or anything, but they definitely deserved to be there, especially the girl, who was concert mistress, Alyssa Roberts.

Alyssa was somewhat of a sore spot for Annabeth. She was one of those girls that just rubbed Annabeth the wrong way. Alyssa wasn't a bad person, she wasn't even outwardly mean towards her, but something about the way that she carried herself drove Annabeth insane. It was as though she was the most talented person to ever walk the Earth. In all honesty, Alyssa was a very nice and amiable person, but she had a massive superiority complex that showed during rehearsal. If you were to meet her on the street or in a coffee shop, you would think that she was a sweet (and very attractive) brunette.

Annabeth still couldn't stand her. Maybe it was because she was first chair, but Annabeth liked to think that she wasn't that petty. Alyssa was just kind of obnoxious in all the wrong ways. At least in her eyes she was.

"Annabeth! You're late," Alyssa chided, pointing at her wrist watch for effect.

"A thousand apologies, your Majesty," Annabeth said sarcastically, giving her a half-hearted bow for emphasis.

Alyssa's face broke into a frown, and she opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it. Instead she turned to face the rest of the group which was watching with avid interest and amusement.

"Okay everyone, let's start up at measure 86!" Alyssa declared, and everyone slid into position.

Annabeth raced to unpack her instrument, which wasn't even tuned, and scrambled into her seat just as Alyssa sniffed pompously, and everyone began playing. Her eyes narrowed as she tried desperately to find where the darned measure was, and she cursed Alyssa inside her head. Her fingers instinctively fell into place, and she released her anger for the sake of the song.

Group lessons ended soon enough, but Alyssa called her after to talk with her. Annabeth resisted rolling her eyes, but stayed after without complaint. The quieter she was, the faster Alyssa's diatribe would end.

Alyssa leaned back against the wall, her arms crossed over chest. Annabeth looked at her expectantly with what she hoped was a polite expression. The brunette sighed deeply and kicked off the wall, a weary expression on her face.

"Look Annabeth, I know that we haven't ever really been on the same page, for whatever reason. For the sake of the group though, I would really like it if we could work something out. I don't really know what I did to offend you, but if we could resolve it then that would be in everyone's best interest," Alyssa said, and Annabeth wrestled with annoyance and guilt.

On the one hand, Annabeth was annoyed because Alyssa was every bit as bossy and annoying and uppity as she always was, but on the other hand, she didn't really have much of a reason for giving her as hard a time as she always had.

Annabeth said, "Sure, that sounds like a good idea. Let's just start over again. I think that would be easiest."

Alyssa smiled, "Well, that sounds just fine to me. I hope that we can work well together, Annabeth. You're a really wonderful musician, so I want us to be on the same page."

Annabeth nodded, and Alyssa gestured for her to leave at will. Annabeth left promptly, not wishing to linger any longer than she had to. Maybe she could ease up on Alyssa a little. Well, time would tell that story eventually.

With an hour till her next class, Annabeth decided to go visit Percy to sort out whatever happened that morning. She found herself walking towards his office, which she had never really been inside. When she finally got to the door, she politely knocked and jumped back in surprise when it creaked open due to the force of her knocking.

Tentatively, she stuck her head into his office, looking for him. Percy wasn't there and she debated leaving or entering and waiting for him. She settled on the latter and tiptoed stealthily into the room before truly drinking in the surroundings. It was like his apartment, spacious and airy, with pastel colored walls and black and white photographs hung around the room. Like she did in his apartment, Annabeth wandered over to the photos to examine them.

The first was a black and white photograph of Percy grinning with his arm around a pretty freckled girl in a place that looked suspiciously like Dublin, Ireland. Her frizzy hair tumbled down her shoulders, and Annabeth had no trouble imagining it as red. She fit the bill for a typical Irish girl, the probably red hair, scattered freckles, and bright green eyes. Only her eyes were actually colored, as were Percy's. While both their eyes were green, they were entirely different shades. Percy's were that oceanic blue-green color whereas the girl's were a gorgeous emerald.

Annabeth quelled a strange pang of jealousy that coursed through her veins when she stared at the photo. She shook her head and turned her attention to the next photograph, which was a picture of Percy sitting at a pier with his feet lightly touching the water. The picture was shot from behind him, so you could see him wearing a button down shirt and khaki sorts, his head turned towards the horizon, but his face was obscured.

_Wonder who takes these amazing pictures of him. _Annabeth thought with dry amusement.

Again, the final picture was not a picture at all, but a quote. Well, there was a strange picture in the background, but it was blurred out and mostly focused on the quote. The picture was of a person staring desperately into the camera, as if pleading with his eyes. The glaring aspect was that where his mouth should have been, there was just smooth skin as if he had never had a mouth. His hands were pawing at that spot where his mouth should have been, as though he was confused and terrified to find it missing. Annabeth found the picture thoroughly unnerving, but not nearly as unnerving as the quote.

_Silence is the most powerful scream. _

Annabeth's hand covered her mouth. That was probably the most morbid thing that she had ever seen in her life, and it was in her professor's office. The same man that she had seen earlier the same day on the bus, bouncing about the bus with a huge smile on his face, owned _this_ picture. Annabeth was gripped with a sense of vertigo. She had known him for almost two months now, but how much had she truly learned about him? Almost close to nothing.

Was this how he really was? Was this how tormented, how bitter he was about his condition? Annabeth wasn't disturbed by the fact that he could be disturbed by his condition, anyone would be in his shoes. No, what worried her was how easily he kept that side of him hidden to everyone. Who was the man that she had interacted with so much these past two months? Who was the man that she had befriended, that she grown to harbor a crush on? Annabeth found herself questioning everything that she had ever known or learned about him. Who was Percy Jackson truly?

She backed away from the picture with every intention of leaving the room, thoroughly regretting her decision to enter in the first place. Annabeth backpedaled all the way into Percy who was standing under the doorframe with a perfect poker face. Annabeth let out a little squeak when she turned to see him standing there, glaring down at her with a strange feral expression in his eyes. Annabeth knew from her previous interactions that this was an entirely different kind of anger from him than she had ever seen before.

His fierce, frigid expression seemed to ask her what she doing, so she answered. "I'm sorry! I dropped by to talk to you, but you weren't here. The door was open so I popped in to wait for you until you came back, but I saw the photos and got curious. I apologize. I am so sorry," Annabeth said all in one breath, slurring her words together in her haste.

Percy said nothing, and stepped out of the door frame before looking away from her and pointing away from his office. Annabeth got the message, but she didn't know what to do. She wondered if she should apologize again, but when Percy's hand violently stabbed away from his room, Annabeth yelped and scurried away. Percy stormed into his room, and slammed the door behind him, and the harsh sound reverberated through the empty hallway.

Annabeth didn't know that she was sprinting until she exploded out of the building into the harsh sunlight gasping for breath. She tried to bend over and clutch her knees, but her fingers kept trembling which made it almost impossible for her to grip anything. Beads of cold sweat dripped off her face, and she felt the epinephrine flooding through her blood stream and accentuating her senses.

_What the hell just happened?_

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**A/N: Hello everyone! I finally updated! Huzzah! Haha, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I don't have much to say about it. If you recognize the song and/or the artist, you have good taste. They aren't amazing, but they're pretty unique and very talented. I took the ACT on Saturday and winged it since I've been studying for the SAT primarily. The science section totally beat me into submission, so I'm a tad depressed, hence this beautiful angsty masterpiece. It's also because all this happiness is making me cringe, so I decided to spice things up. I hope you liked it, and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**

**PS: Thanks for helping me hit the hundred mark last chapter! If we could hit 150 this chapter, that would be phenomenal. Thanks again!**


	6. Escalation

**A/N: Will proof read later! Thanks!**

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**Escalation**

Annabeth waited impatiently for the YouTube clip to load. It was another rare interview that Percy had given that was actually in English. It had only taken around two or so hours of scouring the internet to find it, but she felt that it was worth it. Now if only the damn clip would stop buffering, then Annabeth would be a happy camper. Ever since the incident in Percy's office Annabeth had only become more intrigued with her youthful professor, but needless to say, things were tense and awkward between them now.

Running her hand through her frizzy hair in exasperation, Annabeth turned to look out of her dorm window. She was lucky that the dorm that she shared with Reyna was located on the outside of the building, facing out. Of course, since she was in New York it wasn't like she was exposed to some verdant scenery, but at least it let the sunshine in on occasion. Her stoic roommate was currently doing some sort of theater related activity and was therefore absent, giving Annabeth the privacy to watch her video in peace.

It only occurred to her that she was being slightly stalkerish right after the video was finally done loading, but by then curiosity won her over and before she could really process what was happening she clicked on the video. Her thumb instantly began jabbing at the volume button so that she could better hear every bit of the interview.

Percy sat forward in his chair, his undivided attention on what the interviewer was asking. The interviewer, a blonde woman in her mid-twenties, appeared to be enraptured sitting next to Percy, but she was professional enough to not outwardly fangirl. She shot him a winning smile that he returned at the start of the interview before she leaned in closer to him, a subtle sign of attraction.

"So, we have with us today Percy Jackson, famous violinist during his stay here in London. Enjoying yourself so far, Mr. Jackson?" she asked. Annabeth thought she sounded smarmy, but she wasn't sure if she was just imagining it or not.

Percy smiled at her again and said, "It's just Percy, and it's great to be here. The UK is particularly dear to my heart. After all, this is where everything really started for me."

"Well, Percy, what inspires you when you play music? Where do you draw your creative inspiration from?" the interviewer asked.

Percy looked thoughtful and chuckled. "Good question; looks like I'm in some trouble," he joked, causing the interviewer to smile ingratiatingly again. Annabeth felt slightly annoyed watching this virtual flirt fest taking place between the two. If Piper was here, she would say it was because she was jealous, but Piper was borderline crazy so Annabeth wouldn't have heeded her words anyways.

"I guess it would have to be emotion. You need to draw upon the emotions that a piece conveys, and because music isn't exactly definitive about interpretation there's freedom to play according to your personality. For example, a given song will never just be sad, it might also be angry, lamenting, or yearning. You have to communicate these emotions effectively through your playing, and that's what really makes me love music. Classical music does a really good job of speaking through the notes; there are stories to be told, but you participate in the process of deliverance creating a sort of relationship between the song and yourself. That just blows my mind sometimes," he said thoughtfully. Annabeth found herself enraptured with his insight. She thought along similar veins about music as well, but it was interesting to hear how Percy put it.

The rest of the interview went along similar lines until the interviewer decided to start asking more personal questions. "I hear that you're dating Rachel Elizabeth Dare currently, daughter of real estate mogul William Dare, am I correct?" she asked, dropping her voice down to a whisper as though it was a secret.

Percy smiled slightly. "I'm not a big fan of sharing details of my personal life," he said gently, but there was a flicker in his eyes that Annabeth identified as sadness.

The interviewer got quite flustered. "Oh, of course. I perfectly understand. Well, that about concludes this interview. Percy Jackson, Ladies and Gentlemen. He'll be playing here in London, be sure to attend."

"Thanks for having me, and I'd love to see you all there," Percy interjected. The clip ended and left Annabeth feeling slightly confused. She assumed that Rachel Elizabeth Dare was the smiling red haired girl that she had seen in Percy's office.

She rationalized that the girl probably hadn't broken up with Percy because otherwise he wouldn't have held onto her picture. From the limited experience that Annabeth had with relationships, she knew that the age old "We can still be friends" statement was probably one of the biggest lies ever told. She assumed that something else must have split them apart or that they might still be together, maintaining a long distance relationship. Another internet stalking session was definitely in order, but Annabeth felt too exhausted to continue and instead flopped onto her bed and fell asleep.

~oOo~

"You guys! Come on, seriously? Professor Jackson's told us about the rhythm at S about a thousand times, and we're still doing it wrong, three weeks before the concert!" Alyssa said seriously. All the musicians looked away guiltily knowing that they were all at fault.

Alyssa had proposed holding additional rehearsals to iron out some of the trouble spots as an extra measure to prepare for the concert. Being Juilliard students, everyone had decided to attend; no one wanted the first concert to be a train wreck.

Annabeth, for her part, was thoroughly exhausted. They had been going at it for about two hours, and that was after their normal rehearsal time. She felt like her arms were about to drop off. Professor Perlman's rule about five hours maximum for practicing had been broken around forty minutes ago. Gritting her teeth, she circled the measures viciously to remind herself of the rhythm. For the most part, she had it down, but she didn't want to mess it up.

Alyssa ran her hands through her brown hair in frustration, standing besides her chair. Annabeth begrudgingly admired the other girl's stamina; Alyssa had been standing up the entire rehearsal so far so that it would be easier for the rest of the orchestra to follow. Among many things, Alyssa was a natural leader which just irked Annabeth even more. Despite her promise to remain on civil terms with the brunette, she still wound up feeling vindictive towards the other girl.

"Start it again," she said forcefully. The orchestra dutifully raised their instruments, but stress was apparent in everyone. Annabeth grumbled curses under her breath as she brought her violin up to, but froze in her seat when she saw Percy leaning against the rehearsal hall doorway, obscured in the shadows cast by the evening. His eyes were locked on Alyssa, and Annabeth felt a strange fury bubbling inside the pit of her stomach like a cauldron of malcontent.

Before she knew it, the group had started to play and she was already a half a measure behind before she found the correct measure. In another second, she seamlessly joined in with the rest of the group, a renewed vigor fueling her playing. Out the corner of her eye she observed her professor's gaze flicker towards her before he abruptly departed. Annabeth felt slightly deflated, but the energy boost she received from just seeing him again kept her weariness at bay.

Rehearsal ended about thirty minutes later, and everyone, including Alyssa, was dead tired as they packed up. Annabeth walked back with Piper talking quietly as they pushed the doors open. Annabeth was surprised to see Percy rested against the side of the rehearsal hall, a scarf wrapped around his neck to protect from the chill in the air. He met Annabeth's eyes, smiled slightly, and gave her a nod of approval. Annabeth felt a pleasant sensation blossom inside her chest and turned to hide her blushing face.

Piper noticed and shot Annabeth a worried look that she pointedly ignored. Annabeth felt that she should have been allowed her guilty pleasures; it's not like anything was going to come out of it anyways. Piper had noticed more and more about her friend's infatuation with their youthful professor, and while she initially dismissed it as puppy love, she grew alarmed at how she clung to it despite its foolishness.

Annabeth chanced another glance back at Percy and her heart sank. Alyssa had just walked out of the rehearsal hall, the last person to do so, and after she locked up, Percy tapped her shoulder. They engaged in a conversation - Percy repeatedly passing her his notepad, Alyssa blushing and responding with a shy smile - then they both stopped and walked away together. Annabeth felt like someone had yanked the ground from beneath her feet and nearly stumbled before Piper caught her.

"Annabeth! What's wrong?" she asked.

Blinking back tears, Annabeth responded, "Nothing. I just want to go back to my dorm," and she sped away, practically running to the bus stop through a haze of tears.

"Annabeth! Wait!" Piper called out, but Annabeth paid her no attention, focused on getting far, far away.

~oOo~

The concert ended on one final held chord that faded into nothingness. For a few brief seconds, the concert hall was absolutely silent. Annabeth could feel her heart thundering in her chest. Percy stepped spryly off the podium and turned to the audience, and just like that, the spell was broken. The entire concert hall burst out into loud applause as Percy motioned for the orchestra to stand up. Percy bowed shot the orchestra a winning smile and walked off the stage, letting the applause shower upon the orchestra.

Annabeth cast a sidelong glance at Alyssa and noticed the girl had managed a small smile of her own, her honey brown hair cascading down her shoulders. She had to begrudgingly admit that without Alyssa's guidance, this concert wouldn't have gone as perfectly as it had. It wasn't like the concert would have flopped without it since this was Juilliard, but Alyssa had managed to ramify the last minute things that Percy hadn't managed to handle.

Soon, the orchestra left the stage, and after Annabeth and Piper packed up, they met Reyna, Thalia, and Jason outside the concert hall. Thalia bounded over with infectious energy as Reyna and Jason followed with broad smiles of their own.

"Oh my gosh, you two! That was mind-blowingly awesome! I almost felt sad that I was doing dance instead of an instrument!" Thalia proclaimed.

"Almost?" Piper prompted.

Thalia shrugged. "Eh, can't sit still like you all can for that long at one time," she said, bouncing around for emphasis.

Jason stepped forward and took Piper's hands in his own, causing her to blush. "You were amazing, Piper," he whispered intensely.

Piper squeaked some unintelligible response before Jason leant in and kissed her softly. Annabeth watched the spectacle wistfully, wishing that she had something like that. Reyna watched with a coy smile and met her roommates eyes before rolling them exaggeratedly. Despite herself, Annabeth found herself laughing at her friend's behavior.

"So, if you two lovebirds are done, I say we head to Vincenzo's to celebrate!" Thalia said, her tone shifting from utter disgust to vibrant excitement.

"Don't we need a reservation to go there, Thals?" Reyna said thoughtfully.

Thalia grinned. "You underestimate me, Rey-Rey. I already booked a reservation a while ago because I knew that the concert was going to be awesome."

"Don't call me Rey-Rey," Reyna growled, and even Thalia had to flinch when Reyna got angry.

Annabeth laughed and threw her hands over both their shoulders. "Come on comrades, to the restaurant!"

About forty minutes later, the party was seated and everyone had already placed their orders. Annabeth was in the middle of a conversation with Reyna about the production of the Nutcracker that she was involved in when the front door opened and Annabeth's gaze drifted there. She instantly regretted it.

Alyssa walked in wearing a beautiful dress, her cheeks flushed from the cold. But she wasn't alone. Percy followed her in soon after, his arms linked with hers.

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**A/N: Hello everyone! Yes, I am in fact alive. Unfortunately, I was dead creatively for the past few months so it took a long time to update, so I apologize. A lot of stuff has happened: standardized tests, romantic failures (more on that below if you're interested), reviving my social life, and school work. I hope this chapter was good enough to make up for the long wait; it's kind of short, but I have a better idea of the plot direction now so I'll update quicker. With regards to this particular chapter, Alyssa is going to play a major role in this story so I didn't just introduce her for no apparent reason. Love triangle action! Thanks for reading and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**

**PS: I recently published a story on Fictionpress (my plot bunny was kind of drunk) and I would be eternally grateful if you gave it a read. It's really personal to me, and it's going to be an emotional roller coaster, even more so than all my stories so far. I think that it's going to turn out really really well, but so far, no one's read it so that kinda defeats the purpose. I'll probably still continue to write it anyways since I'm emotionally invested in this particular story, but an audience is always nice. To read it, just look up my name on fictionpress; the story is called "Light on Broken Glass." Be sure to tell me what you think!**

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**So, I got friendzoned by a girl that I've had a crush on for almost four-ish years now. It kinda sucks, but she was super sweet about it which just made me respect her even more. This ties into the Nerdy Boys post on my profile. She let me down in the nicest way possible, and I actually didn't feel too bad about it. Things have actually been going really well for me, and I've been not-depressed for like a month now (which is like record-worthy). This post is kind of pointless in retrospect, but just a little more drama from my average life for those of you that care. **


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